with a grain of salt
English
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with a grain of salt
Where it comes from
Calque of Latin cum grānō salis , literally with a grain of salt, figuratively with a bit of common sense (from Pliny’s Pompey’s discovery of an antidote against poison to be taken with a grain of salt).
adverb
- With a little common sense and skepticism. I take anything I read on the Internet with a grain of salt.
Translations
Every language
adv with common sense and skepticism
| Español | coger con pinzas, tomar con pinzas, tomar con reservas, creer la mitad, con un grano de sal, escuchar con reservas |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 話半分 hanashihanbun |
| 中文 | 持懷疑態度 /持怀疑态度 chí huáiyí tàidù |
| Português | cum grano salis |
| Français | avec des pincettes |
| Deutsch | mit einem Körnchen Salz |
| Italiano | col sale in zucca, con un po' di sale in zucca |
| Русский | скепти́чески skeptíčeski, недове́рчиво nedovérčivo |
| עברית | עם קמצוץ מלח 'Im kamtsuts melah, בערבון מוגבל, בהסתייגות מסוימת |
Talk about this word "with a grain of salt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20grain%20of%20salt. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. with a grain of salt. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20grain%20of%20salt "with a grain of salt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20grain%20of%20salt.Cite this
@misc{with_a_grain_of_salt_2026,
title = {with a grain of salt},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20grain%20of%20salt},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
